After over a week away enjoying the benign weather of this holiday season (we love interesting weather, but not if we have to travel in it), Under the Weather is back in the house!

The coldest air of this winter season --- the genuine polar stuff --- is on its way here. After a seasonal Wednesday with a high temperature in the upper 30s (and perhaps a stray snow shower or two this afternoon), expect the bottom to drop out of the thermometer Wednesday night.

The numbers --- a low temp of 16 Wednesday night/Thursday morning, followed by a forecast high of 27 on Thursday, and then back down to 14 Thursday night/Friday morning. The wind will be evident too, at least through to Thursday afternoon.

The good news, for cold haters, is that this polar shot doesn't represent a trend. Temperatures will rebound to normal levels by Friday, and then return above normal (and then well above normal).

We spent our New Year's Day compiling weather statistics for both the December just past and the year just past, and we'll post them all here. But rather than overload our devoted readers with numbers, we'll just include the ones for December today. Here's the raw data we'll be using for Sunday's weather column in The Staten Island Advance. Check back tomorrow for the numbers on 2007.....

*** Low barometric pressure of 29.05 inches on 16th
*** First measurable snow of season 1.4 inches on 2nd
*** First month with normal temps since June
*** No records set or tied
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Yesterday's extreme temperatures in the contiguous United States --- High: 84 at Kendall, Fla., a suburb of Miami on the edge of the Everglades; Low: -24 at Alamosa, Colo.